


Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

by sinstralpride, Southern_Heaven



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Kink Meme, Multi, Threesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-01-14
Updated: 2010-01-14
Packaged: 2017-10-06 06:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinstralpride/pseuds/sinstralpride, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Southern_Heaven/pseuds/Southern_Heaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Captain James Tiberius Kirk is still just Jim Kirk under his shiny new captaincy, Uhura meets an old friend, and Spock sets aside logic for what feels right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been delayed, but is not abandoned.

"After a long day of facing down death y'know what I could go for Lt. Uhura? A bit of intimacy."  His grin was more than a little reminiscent of their first meeting – drunken tilt to his lips and all – but he was infinitely more sober than the night he started a fight that led to his entrance into Starfleet. This was the first shore leave that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise had been allowed since Jim Kirk had assumed the position of captain, and the crew was eagerly enjoying the chance to unwind. Nyota just wished the Captain had found another place to do his own unwinding, somewhere that was _not_ right next to her at the bar. 

  
"I wish you only the best of luck in finding some, sir," Uhura muttered, swirling the straw in her second Cardassian Sunrise of the night as she enjoyed the exuberant atmosphere of the Andorian capital's most popular bar. She wasn't nearly drunk enough to deal with this again. James T. Kirk coming on to her – or most of the identifiably female population of the universe, for that matter – was just the way of the world, but it's predictability made it no less of an annoyance. 

  
Kirk chuckled and said, "Well then, I'm in luck.” He leaned in closer, attempting to slip an arm about her waist, his hot breath dancing across her ear. 

  
She removed his arm with an impatient sigh, her grasp harshly ensuring compliance, and dropped it before he could pull her in close. Her voice held familiar exasperation and barely leashed annoyance as she provided her exceptionally logical response. "Captain, you know that I'm involved with Spock."

  


"What does that matter?" he asked, brushing fingers callused by brawls and magna-spoke motorcycle maintenance across her cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with casual intimacy. He certainly loved to push boundaries, no matter what they were.

  


She pushed his hand away without bothering to mask her annoyance. " It matters because I'm faithful to him." 

Always quick on his feet – and having entertained more than one fantasy about the man who knew him so well in another life but so little in this one – Jim quipped, "Then why don't we involve him in the action?. All three of us –" Uhura silenced him with the remainder of her Cardassian Sunrise, pouring it over him with equal measures of irritation and satisfaction. There was probably something in the handbook that forbade assaulting your superior officers even if they were hitting on you... or pouring your very sticky drink onto their dry-clean-only, 'fuck-me' leather jacket.

  
"You know where to find me if you change your mind!" he called after her, undeterred.

  


====================

  
"Whaddya say?" Kirk's drunken leer wasn't helping his case any. Nor was the cloying scent of Orion perfume clinging to his heated and sweaty skin, the graceless smudges of lipstick lingering just beneath his left ear, or the way he encroached upon the Commander's personal space with a sly grin. 

  


Spock's gaze was impassive as ever as he took in the Captain's disheveled appearance and irrepressible manner, and his voice just as infuriatingly even as he extolled the ramifications. "Such a union would be neither practical nor beneficial. A sexual relationship would negatively impact our working relationship and burgeoning friendship, as well as adversely influence the dynamic on the bridge. That would be both irresponsible and illogical on all of our parts." He didn't bother to mention Jim's tendency to waltz off the ship at every opportunity and straight into an advanced state of inebriation and a woman’s bed– as he clearly had that night before the Commander encountered him in the hallway near his quarters.

With a suggestive smirk and a saucy grin, he wheedled, "We're all adults, I think we can work – "

"Lieutenant Uhura has already informed me that she does not wish to engage in any sexual relationship with you." The finality of that statement would have crushed anyone else's hope. Unfortunately, Captain James Tiberius Kirk was still just Jim Kirk under his shiny new captaincy. 

Jim's eyebrow arched upwards. "Is that so?" 

==================== 

She turned back towards him and crossed her arms. Out of irritation, she assured herself; he wasn't making her feel defensive in the slightest. Narrowing dark eyes, Nyota fixed her fierce glare on the man before her – her captain, no less – who had summoned her to his ready room. Hitting on her while off-duty and in a bar was one thing, but cornering her after a shift on the bridge was another! Jim Kirk would never grasp the simple concept of propriety. She was tired after a long day and just wanted to head back to Spock's quarters for a soothing sonic shower and a good night's sleep; her nights were more restful in his bed. 

"I would like to make a proposal." His tone was surprisingly professional – given the subject matter – as his hands danced over the data PADD on his desk in a way she would have labeled as nervous, had it been anyone else. 

"Then make it." As curt and professional as she could manage, but still vaguely hostile. 

"I propose that you, your boyfriend, and I engage in a ménage à trois." He held up a hand to silence her., "Hear me out. I think that it would work. Whatever you might think of my reputation, I can be discrete when my partner wishes me to be. Plus, I'm not going to come looking to you or Spock for favors just because we're involved. I'm the only person who ranks higher than Spock on the ship. Look at it this way: the worst case scenario is that I stop bugging you two." 

Tightening her arms against herself, Uhura said, "The answer is still no." Her tone left little room for argument, and if he were a normal man it would have effectively silenced him – but James Kirk was not quelled by such things. 

"Fine, that's up to you, but you might want to go over this list with him before you make a final judgment," Kirk told her seriously, handing her a data PADD. As he turned to leave, he delivered one final parting shot. "I can give you both the things you need but can't give each other, Lieutenant. Don't dismiss me so quickly." 

  


==================== 

  


When Uhura entered Spock's quarters, she found him sitting at his desk while working diligently on the rota for next week. He was intent upon his work and did not acknowledge her as she approached him from behind and stooped to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his hair. At first his muscles tensed – he was still awkward with physical affection – but after a moment he relaxed again and reached behind his head to cup her face. He was rewarded with a contented sigh that told him that he'd responded correctly. 

"Kirk propositioned me again today," she mumbled, her breath stirring his dark hair and tickling the sensitive skin of his ear. Moving her hand to his forehead, she caressed his smooth skin and delicately traced the regal line of his eyebrow. 

Quirking the brow, knowing that she would feel his familiar expression beneath her exploring fingertips, he stated serenely, "I assume that you did not accept." 

Uhura unlatched her arms from around him and walked back towards the wardrobe. "No, of course not." Usually her daily updates on Kirk's harassment continued with an enumerated list of the day's offenses, but today she simply left it there and began to change out of her uniform.  

 

The sound of the sonic shower buzzed gently in the background as Spock tended his many miscellaneous duties as the Enterprise's first officer. Schedules, repair logs, supply requests, and communiqués from high-ranking officials all went through him. He reviewed them as necessary in an attempt to keep the ship flowing as smoothly as possible. Only a small number of these things were ever passed on to the captain, and Spock often reflected that it was a fortunate state of affairs. Being made captain had changed little more than the man's uniform, and he was just as impulsive as ever – he would never be an efficient administrator, but the Vulcan was beginning to think that perhaps he had other skills to recommend him.

When finished with scheduling, Spock wandered over to change out of his own uniform. Uhura had left hers hanging in the wardrobe and had discarded the other miscellaneous things she had with her on the small table next to it. With her communicator and earrings sat a small data PADD that distracted him from his original task. Flicking it on, Spock observed that it displayed a list titled _"Reasons to Hook Up"._

"It's Kirk's latest attempt to convince us that a threesome is a good idea," Uhura called from his bedroom. 

Spock wandered into the bedroom, studying the device. Uhura was sitting on the edge of the bed, tending to herself after her sonic shower, graceful hands rhythmically smoothing over one aesthetically pleasing and lengthy leg. Unable to tear his gaze away from the skin she caressed so casually – skin he knew to be supple and warm, skin he had gently tasted under her guidance and found to hold both the alluring scent and softness of a lily – he masked his distraction with an illogically pointless comment. 

"Convince _us_? He has switched to the more logical approach of addressing us simultaneously." His brow quirked in something like Vulcan amusement. "Fascinating." 

"You can read it if you feel the need; his little list seems to be addressed to both of us." She continued to apply the lily of the valley lotion that he secretly loved, completely uninterested in the list he held in his hands. 

Spock meandered back to his desk and set about reading the list. The smell of lilies and Nyota's skin lingered in the air.  
  


_**Reasons to Hook-Up **_

_1\. I will accompany Lt. Uhura to bars, as I know Cdr. Spock will not. This allows me to deter unwanted attentions, and she has will have a companion to buy her drinks/hold her purse/make sure she makes it back safely. I will limit my own alcohol consumption during the outings she wishes to indulge, to provide her with a comfortable environment. Should any conflicts arise, I will be able to provide protection for Lt. Uhura in an altercation._

  


_2\. I am willing to offer any public displays of affection that Lt. Uhura may desire and Cdr. Spock finds distasteful and would rather avoid. However, I will also refrain from any public displays of affection with Cdr. Spock, unless he initiates them._

_(Be advised that once either Lt. Uhura or Cdr. Spock initiates a public display of affection I will be inclined to carry them out to their natural conclusion.)_

  


_3\. The conflicts between Cdr. Spock and I appear to stem from more than the subjects at hand. A deeper emotional and physical relationship would allow us to explore this and likely would reduce our conflicts, enabling us to be a more efficient command team. I know that Cdr. Spock will not allow a change in our dynamic to adversely influence our working relations, just as he has not allowed it to influence his behavior towards Lt. Uhura, in a professional capacity._

_4\. My incorporation into the already existing relationship between the Cdr. and Lt. would be of great benefit to all three of us. I have demonstrated an understanding of Cdr. Spock beyond almost all of others, and I have insight into how the Vulcan mind works. In addition, I am also human and understand human emotion; this will allow me to enlighten Cdr. Spock about the intricacies of Lt. Uhura's mind and behavior. I could act as buffer, translator, and mediator as necessary. I feel this could only improve the dynamic between Cdr. Spock and Lt. Uhura._

_5\. Sometimes it is best to lay logic aside and pursue the course that **feels **right, as opposed to depriving us of a relationship that would define us all. _

  


Kirk was never one to present his ideas in such a straightforward manner. To prepare a list would suggest a level of commitment and care which he did not exhibit often, and his last point... There was something behind this that he wasn't sure the Captain was fully aware of. 

Spock changed out of his uniform, eyes darting to the data PADD on the table next to him every few seconds. The arguments were logical, the thought processes sound, and the list stirred something in him that he hadn't thought possible. He wasn't used to these feelings, but he was used to logic – and yet, the Captain's last argument kept running through his brain as he moved towards the bed. Holding the data PADD tightly, almost as if he derived comfort from the semblance of logic contained within, he was all too aware of the woman stretched out on her side of his bed – all sleek muscles and warm mocha skin under cream lace – and not quite asleep. He told himself that it was merely efficient to inhale at a deep, moderate pace, pointedly denying that the entrancing aroma of lilies had anything to do with it, and said, "I believe the Captain makes several valid arguments." 

Uhura groaned and rolled over to glare at him. "I think it's just the usual, repackaged in a pretty, logical wrapping." 

"Kirk has never been logical about this before, but he presented his case in – " He stopped speaking at her expression. He couldn't quite read it, but he knew she had more to say. With lingering fingers and deep thoughts, Spock hesitated while placing the data PADD on the bedside table. The neatly numbered list was comfortable, safe and familiar in a situation that was anything but, and he was reluctant to set it aside and face Nyota's reasoning without it to support his own nebulous thoughts. Readjusting the covers, he turned toward her, trying to formulate words and logical arguments to explain the unfamiliar emotions he was feeling. 

She looked up at him as he climbed into bed and frowned thoughtfully. "You can't be seriously considering it." Her eyes were wary, unused to the body language he was projecting. Insecurity and doubt were as uncommon for him to display as rage or joy. 

He knew she had read the same list as he had, but apparently she had not come to the same conclusions. Perhaps discussing it with her would either enlighten him about his own reactions to Kirk's list, or provide him with her views to what the faults in the argument were. "It is logical, and having found no fault in the reasoning yet I believe it would be unwise to rule out a viable option." 

"Logical or not, it's still not a good idea. Just keep thinking – you'll find a flaw in his argument." She rolled onto her back, looking at the ceiling as the lights in the room automatically dimmed around them; her motions sent tendrils of sweet lily wafting across the small space between them. 

Spock stared at her in the dusky quiet of the room for long seconds, watching in rapt attention as she blinked at the nothingness of the ceiling. He was quiet and calm when he spoke, as he struggled to keep his turmoil from his voice and features and conveying the facts as a good Vulcan would. "Nyota, I believe there is someone with whom you will wish to speak before you reach your final conclusion on the matter." 

"Fine," she muttered, rolling back over, too tired to coax the details from him. "Arrange a meeting with this mysterious person." 

In a few minutes she was fast asleep beside him, but thoughts of Kirk's list kept his mind too occupied to rest. There was something there that Uhura had not grasped, that she could not grasp, and any references to his alternative self had been lost on her. Making mental note of his necessary duties upon rising, Spock added contacting his future self and ascertaining the status of Nyota's lotion supply to his list. 

  


====================== 

 

They had only been cleared for a few hours of leave. Part of the engineering crew was assisting in construction a few municipal features on the Vulcan colony planet, and many of crew members outside of that division had been cleared for leave. Uhura had planned on spending the precious few hours wandering through the newly built city, but they had been commandeered by a certain Vulcan.

Over breakfast, he‘d handed her a small data PADD with an address and a map of the city pulled up on the screen. "You are to meet him here at 1200 hours. I ask that you not keep him waiting," Spock had informed her with unusual ambiguity, and then returned to his breakfast without another word. 

The small café had not been hard to find. It was one of the few buildings occupied on the quiet street in the burgeoning city. Vulcan cafés were even more solemn than Uhura had imagined they would be, despite the open-air design of the building. Had she not seen the sign, she might not have even guessed what type of business it was, although the beautiful flowers, gently babbling fountain, and a single silver wind-chime near the open window lent it peaceful ambiance. There were a few patrons, but no one spoke, and there was an absence of hissing coffee-makers and clinking dishware that normally signaled a café on Earth. 

Finding the man she was to meet proved harder than finding the café. Everyone seemed to be completely engrossed in their activities, and locating the man she was supposed to meet without catching anyone's eye proved frustrating. She was determined, though, and soon she spotted an older Vulcan who sat alone at the back of the room. He looked up at her with something akin to a smile, and she knew she had found the man she sought. 

There was something profoundly familiar about his face, about the way he moved – something in the angular cheekbones and fathomless, wise eyes that looked at her so intently. Had she never met Sarek, she would have guessed this was he. 

"Welcome, Lieutenant Uhura. It is most pleasurable to finally meet you," he said. 

"Who– how do you know my name? I assume that Commander Spock arranged for us to meet?" His tone was strangely familiar, but the feeling was just an inkling in the back of her mind 

"Indeed he did. He felt that you might find some insight in what I can share with you." He motioned to the chair opposite himself at the table. "Please sit." 

Uhura couldn't ignore the overwhelming sense of familiarity this Vulcan roused within her. There was something about him that called out to her, that stirred her memories of the fight with Nero. Something that made her ask, "You– you're... from somewhere that no longer exists, aren't you?" 

"That I am, Nyota. May I call you Nyota? My discussions with my alternate self have given me a sense of closeness to you, in addition to my own long friendship with Nyota Uhura in the reality I lived out the majority of my life in. I hope my familiarity does not disconcert you in any way." 

Sitting down heavily, confusion making her limbs awkward and uncooperative, she said, "No, I don't mind..." 

  


He gestured to his gently steaming cup and asked,"Would you care for something to drink before we begin? This café serves a wonderful Vulcan spice tea.” His traditional garb was a deep shade of blue, as if he was unaccustomed to wearing another color after so long.

She could feel the beginnings of the answer forming in her mind. She knew this man. She did. At least, she knew her reality's version of him. But she couldn't quite formulate the full thought yet; it swirled annoyingly in her mind, just out of reach. "No, I'm fine... Thank you." 

"You are curious, I presume?"

  


"Yes... I am. How do you know me?" He could read her so well. It was on the tip of her tongue, but a name did not yet come to her lips. 

"I am Spock, but not the Spock with whom you are familiar. I come from the same reality as Nero. Things there are much the same, but also remarkably different.” The wind-chime sang sweetly in the window, but the sound was muffled, as if at a great distance. He continued without pause., “ In my reality we worked together on the Enterprise for its five year mission and forged a strong friendship. However, we did not develop the romantic relationship you and this reality's Spock share. It is this which your Spock wishes for me to discuss with you.

Uhura looked down at the table, her breath pulled from her lungs by the thought of never having the love of this brilliant man – no matter the universe. Out of the other Spock's vision, beneath the table, she was digging nails into her thigh to distract herself. "He wants to have the same relationship as in your reality?" 

"Your relationship is not what he wishes to change, but in my time-line I had a very strong relationship with Kirk. It defined both my time on the Enterprise and much of my life. It shaped both of us; Jim was a true friend in all the time I knew him, through all of the dangers and joys of our time on Enterprise and until his dying day. He was, and always shall be, my _t'hy'la._" 

It was hard to believe what she was hearing from the genial-looking older Spock. He idly sipped his drink as he waited for her response; so calm after dropping such a bomb. Though it was obvious his relationship with Kirk had changed this version of Spock, he had the same directness of his younger counterpart; bringing Uhura some semblance of familiarity to anchor herself, without needlessly tempering the truth. 

"I think I understand... He doesn't want to miss out on what the two of you had in your universe?" Her heart swelled painfully as she met the other Spock's eyes for the first time, noting how much like her own Spock's they were. He nodded in agreement.

At a loss, Nyota struggled to keep her composure as she crumbled internally, "Why couldn't he tell me himself?" She fought to understand the layers of past, present, and future – to grasp the depth of a relationship that had followed that other Kirk to his grave and this other Spock, so like her own but somehow freer, to find his place in this reality – and to come to terms with the shift in her own reality, the shift that lead her to this conversation. 

Calmly stirring his tea with an elegant silver spoon, he said, "I am a testament to the power of that relationship. Would you have believed him, had you never met me?" 

"Probably not." She stared down at the table, contemplating the implications. Her mind churned slowly as she thought of how things might have gone had Nero never come to this universe, and when her thoughts returned to the present she looked up again. 

"If he was your," she swallowed convulsively, "_t'hy'la_... then what was I?" 

The old man seemed to contemplate this as he sipped his tea again. She suspected that she wouldn't receive the answer she hoped for – that he loved her, and she him, across all universes – but it was a truth she needed to hear. Beneath her clenched fingers the flesh of her thigh began to ache; there would undoubtedly be bruises and a row of purple crescent moon-shaped gouges in the warm brown skin, but she still did not relax her hand. 

"We were great friends. We had great admiration for one another and bonded over our work and idle pursuits.” There was an affection in his tone that startled her. Even if he felt such things, he would be unlikely to express them; it was unbecoming a Vulcan elder. “In fact, we often performed together for the crew's enjoyment – you with your voice, and I with my Vulcan lyre." 

"We weren't lovers?" Unable to prevent her last hope from emerging from trembling lips, voice unsteady in a way he graciously ignored, she didn't need to hear his answer to know the truth. 

 

"No, we were not. Compatible personalities and good friends, but never lovers." Kindly, he added, "You, too, had your loves, Nyota..."

Nyota, sat in quiet reflection for a moment before saying softly, "_Saudade_...I always thought I understood it. Except I couldn't really _feel_ it until now." Her voice was stretched thin, like the string of a lyre wound too tight. 

His voice was kind. "I'm afraid that I am unfamiliar with the term, and with the language from which it originates." 

"It's a concept from many human languages, notably Portuguese, which is where the word comes from," Uhura explained, distancing herself from the overwhelming emotion by falling back on her skills as a translator. Translation was more natural to her than breathing, it seemed. "Literally, it means 'stranger', but it's used more as a concept. An overwhelming longing for things that have been and gone – things that will never be again; for everything that has been gone forever, or will never come.” She felt a lump rise in her throat, and she blinked away the sudden burning in her eyes as she saw those emotions in eyes that were so like her lover’s, and yet held pain that she couldn’t imagine. 

As she finished her explanation she wished for nothing more than to grasp his hands – so like in her own Spock's and yet so different, the passage of time giving them an ever growing story – and to allow her fingers to drift lightly over wrinkles and familiar creases “It comes from living by the sea, the loss of a lover or loved one to an inescapable force, and the notion that ‘love remains’ long after those who were loved are gone.” She smiled tremulously. “People say that it's more like a state of being than a feeling... and I think I finally understand it's true meaning. Sadness for having lost, but happiness for having loved.” 

His gentle, world-weary sigh was so soft that she could barely hear it over the subtle bustle of the café – the occasional clink of cup and saucer, the understated taps of 3D chess pieces, and the soft footsteps of a few Vulcans – and he was slow to answer. "Nyota, you have always been the most capable communicator I have ever known, and you have once again proved yourself worthy of that honor." He was quiet for several minutes, but she knew he wasn't finished. "There has been no explanation, no word or phrase that I have been able to calculate – in any language – for this feeling that resides within me, and yet you have summarized it in a single word..." 

  


 

The silence between them sat for moments that stretched between them like the vastness of space as they both contemplated things that never were and never will be, but that somehow still _were. _Sweetly ringing, the clear notes of the wind-chime in the café's open window and the cheerful bubbling of the fountain were reminiscent of a tune she just couldn’t quite recall; music that had and would never be.

After long moments filled not with voices but with the echoes of memories, the old man stirred and spoke, "I will not keep you here any longer." Spock rose from the table and collected his things. "You have much to think about and only so much leave in which to think about it." 

She watched him as he came up to her and hesitantly he put his hand down on her shoulder and squeezed. "I trust you will come to the logical conclusion, Nyota. Live long and prosper, my friend." 

With that he was gone. 

  


==================== 

  


Without fanfare she entered his quarters and set down her bag on the antique table near the door. It was the only table made in this traditional style, of this rare Vulcan wood, to survive the planet’s destruction; it's cultural significance was enormous. She rubbed the golden surface thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "I'll allow it." No need to sugarcoat her words; he was not the type to appreciated obscuring the true meaning of a statement. 

Spock looked up from the status reports he had been sifting through, stood up from the chair, and turned to face her. "You will allow us to accept Captain Kirk's offer of a ménage à trois?" 

She wanted to let him go with as much dignity as she could muster, so she ignored most of his comment, instead saying what she thought he needed to hear. "I give my blessing for you to strike up a sexual relationship with our captain, yes."

Spock strode toward her with a look of concern in his eyes, despite the fact that his face did not betray the emotion. "I would not neglect you in such a way, Nyota. If you have no desire to engage in a relationship with the Captain, I certainly will not do so on my own. I am devoted to you, and I will remain loyal to you."

  


She looked into his eyes, the eyes that were so like those of the man with whom she had spent the morning, and searched for what he wanted to hear, for what the truth of the situation was. "So you won't explore your connection to him? You've decided against it?" 

He gently laid his hands on her shoulders, looking her square in the eyes as he spoke. "No, I simply will not explore it without you. Excluding you from our relations in such a way would only be detrimental to my relationship with you, and I have no desire to jeopardize the balance between us. If you would be amenable to exploring the possibilities of a relationship with the Captain I will give my consent; if you are not we will deliver our final refusal to him tomorrow." 

"Spock." Uhura dropped into a chair without an ounce of grace. "This is a lot. I won't hold it against you if you want to have a relationship with Kirk, I just don't know if I can.” Her voice was soft and strained with the pain of offering to let him go. "A large amount of the time I spend in his presence, I also spend daydreaming about strangling him. That really isn't a good basis for a relationship, but I don't want to hold you back from exploring this. One night. I'll agree to one night of all three of us, and we can just see where it goes from there." 

  


And despite the turmoil she felt, despite what she had just agreed to – something she had been avoiding since her first year at the academy – she was struck by a certain relief at having the decision made and agreed upon. _Even if there is only one painful, possible result,_ she thought, gently running a finger across the growing bruise on the top of her thigh and feeling four perfectly crescent-shaped marks twinge sharply at her touch.

**Author's Note:**

> Sin: Hmm... there seem to be an awful lot of people to acknowledge for this. XD Thanks to 3pirouette and damalur for the incredibly thorough and brilliant betas. You guys made this fic what it is now! Thanks to darth_bunny for the support during the wee hours when I thought this fic was going to drive me insane, and for the many wonderful phrases you let me... borrow. XD This is for [personal profile] lovelessnoire , [personal profile] mrsvc , and [personal profile] fujiidom for being the best sounding-boards a neurotic author like myself could ever hope for! And last, but not least, thank you southern_heaven, for saving me from the hell of writing this alone and for tolerating my many quirks!
> 
> This fic was written in response to this prompt at The Star Trek XI Kink Meme:
> 
> Kirk/Spock/Uhura. Kirk, fascinated by Spock and Uhura's relationship, follows them around like a puppydog and begs for a piece of the action. At first they refuse him, but he finally wears them down-- "Okay," Uhura says. "Fine. But just for one night! Don't give me that smirk, Captain."-- and hot sex ensues. (Optional prompt addition: One night turns into two. Into three. Think Kirk as Scheherazade, only he's in it for sex instead of, uh, no death. Suddenly, ten years later, Spock and Uhura wake up in bed and realize that Kirk's still there. And he's snoring. What the fuck just happened?)
> 
> When I originally read the prompt I started brainstorming right away. The first 5-10 minutes were full of LOLarious ideas and I thought a wonderfully cracktastic story was about to be born [There were veils and belly dancing.], but I'm not usually the type for cracky stories and this proved true again when the ideas took a turn for the serious side. The next thing I knew I was plotting out a srs bzns, multi-chapter fic. At that point I was starting to get a distinct D: look on my face because I've never written Trek fic, [despite being a fan since I was a kid] and the idea intimidated the hell out of me. Luckily southern_heaven happened upon me in my fit of despair and a beautiful partnership was born.
> 
> Southern_Heaven: Knowing my co-author, she will have already written an essay of an author's note so I'll let you off easy. I would like to thank our betas for their hard work deciphering and refining this, friends for the emotional support and uplifting tweets, and sinstralpride for sticking with me even after I revealed myself to be a crazy person.


End file.
